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Downtown protesters decry Zimmerman acquittal

View SlideshowRequest to buy this photoAbigail Saxton Fisher | DispatchSupporters of Trayvon Martin gather at the Ohio Statehouse to peacefully protest the not-guilty verdict in the trial of Martin’s shooter, George Zimmerman. The march took place yesterday; the verdict was handed down on Saturday in Sanford, Fla.

Your Right to Know

They came together yesterday to peacefully vent their frustration over the verdict in the
Trayvon Martin case.

About 60 people gathered at the Franklin County Courthouse and another 60 at the Statehouse.
They eventually joined and marched three times around the Statehouse.

The demonstrations were organized quickly via social media after a Florida jury late Saturday
night acquitted George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Martin. The case ignited controversy over
racial profiling for months.

Zimmerman, a Latino and former neighborhood-watch volunteer, said he acted in self-defense
during a fight with Martin, 17, who was black.

The sentiments among the 120 gathered Downtown yesterday were unanimous: The jury’s verdict was
a miscarriage of justice.

Although the temperature was in the high 80s, some wore hooded sweatshirts to show their
identification with Martin, who was wearing a hoodie on the night he died. Others carried signs and
chanted “No justice, no peace!” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, the new Jim Crow has got to go!” as they
circled the Statehouse.

Pranav Jani, 41, an associate English professor at Ohio State University who said he is involved
with the International Socialist Organization, helped to organize the courthouse rally. He said it
was important for people to raise their voices at a time like this.

“The trial would have never happened if there hadn’t been demonstrations,” Jani said.

Rita Ash, 30, of Columbus, was carrying a sign that said, “End White Supremacy.” She thought the
case set a bad precedent.

“It shows where we are at today in terms of racism. It makes me feel unsafe in this country that
a white person has a right to shoot a person of color and get away with it,” Ash said.

Andrew Gantt, 22, who lives Downtown, said that Zimmerman provoked the confrontation because he
didn’t obey the directions of police dispatchers, who told him to back off and let police officers
investigate.

Therese Chilton, 48, a Far West Side resident, said she believes that when Zimmerman got out of
the car after talking with dispatchers, it was to murder Trayvon.

Tomeka Williams, 28, of Canal Winchester, had helped organize last year’s rally on West Broad
Street near City Hall that had 500 participants. She said she cried with disbelief when she learned
of the jury’s verdict.